Tottenham once had an 'agreed' deal for Fulham’s Moussa Dembele scrapped at the last minute, despite the striker completing a medical.

Back in January 2016, Spurswere chasing rivals Arsenal and surprise package Leicester City in an effort to lift their first Premier League trophy. Chairman Daniel Levy already had Harry Kane at his disposal after his incredible breakthrough 18 months prior.

But Levy recognised the need to bolster his attacking options and provide a back-up for the Englishman in order to challenge in the second half of the season. He pursued Fulham’s promising forward, Dembele - not to be mistaken for Spurs’ own central midfielder at the time - as his key January target.

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Levy managed to negotiate a bargain £6million deal with Fulham for the then-19-year-old, whose contract was set to expire that summer. Dembele even underwent a Spurs medical two days before January deadline day, with the transfer seemingly confirmed.

But the west Londoners were keen for their talented youngster to return to Craven Cottage until the end of the 2015/16 season, due to their attempts to battle relegation and a transfer embargo leaving them unable to sign any replacements in January.

They wanted to strike a deal which would have seen them still receive a fee for Dembele despite him becoming a free agent at the end of the season. Spurs were not impressed by Fulham’s demands and pushed for him to be allowed to join their ranks straight away.

That led to a breaking point between the two clubs, with The Guardian claiming Fulham subsequently 'angrily' cancelled the deal. Negotiations were not revived, and the forward was said to be left bitterly disappointed.

The Lilywhites didn’t end up buying a player in January and finished third that season, with Leicester extraordinarily winning the league by a ten-point margin.

Levy would bring in Moussa Sissoko and Vincent Janssen the following summer, while Dembele signed for Scottish giants Celtic on a four-year contract. Two impressive seasons followed for Dembele, who netted 51 goals in 94 appearances while clinching two Scottish Premiership winners’ medals, two Scottish Cups and two Scottish League Cups.

He made his long-awaited return to France in 2018, signing for Lyon. Between 2018 and 2023, Dembele scored 70 goals in 172 appearances.

He would later follow the horde of former big names moving to the Saudi Pro League in July 2023, when he signed for Al-Ettifaq as a free agent. As one of Steven Gerrard’s first signings, the forward scored 14 goals in 26 appearances in an otherwise disappointing season for the team.

Still just 28 years old, he went on to register seven goals and four assists in 21 games for Al-Ettifaq in 2024/25. They finished seventh in the Saudi Pro League, with the ship steadying following Gerrard’s departure after the side had been left just five points clear of the relegation zone.